Like so many other fans on here, I live for Tool. I know every song by heart. I can play most of them on guitar and bass. Whenever the topic of my favorite band comes up, I expound a 10 minute diatribe on the greatness of Tool... from every possible standpoint, from the lyrics to the arrangements to the production. I can say that no one I've met in my entire life lives and loves a band as much as I do... and seeing the posts here I know that many feel the same way.

That said, I can't FATHOM how all four members of Tool all simultaneously agreed to play the same setlist after being off for 2 years. Think about it: NO ONE in Tool said "hey guys, maybe add in ONE OR TWO different songs?" I almost imagine them laughing, saying "we'll just play the same shit and they'll still love it, that way we won't have to even practice, haha!"

Yesterday morning I was thinking about how fantastic the show was going to be, and how different the setlist was going to be. The Grudge, Parabola, Prison Sex, H, Opiate,... I was CONVINCED I was going to hear some, if not all of those songs along with the old standbys. But right when I saw the stage setup with Adam's talk box, I had a bad feeling it was going to be the same setlist as a few years ago. And then when he played the first notes of "Jambi", I felt like I was caught in some kind of fucked up Nietzschean eternal recurrance joke by the band. Absolutely no surprise whenever they started into each song.... and isn't that why we go to live shows?

And for those saying they were spot on... are you joking? That was by far the sloppiest performance I've seen of them. Being a musician, maybe I have a more discerning ear, but there were many mistakes. Justin biffed some notes here and there, Adam's timing was off in parts... but the worst was the near total meltdown of Lateralus. If anyone has the recording, listen to it. As Danny is doing his solo during the Bridge, Adam comes in with the guitar, and then Maynard comes in with the lyrics. When he says "feel the rhythm" that's when Danny is supposed to come in with that sick drum beat, instead he misses it by 2 measures, which nearly fucks up the entire rest of the song... including Adam's solo right after that. Not until Adam's heavy 4/4 solo riff breakdown did they get back on track. Before that they were constantly looking at eachother in a somewhat panic, and after the song Adam playfully bitched at DC for fucking it up.

And someone mentioned the "duel" between DC and some other drummer. I swear this kid either paid them a million dollars or has terminal cancer or something, because he was definitely NOT a drummer. He was literally hitting a fucking bongo drum like 1 , 2, 3, 4, and over and over. I wish someone has a video because it was a joke. Not even a childlike level of skill. DC was just soloing and this loser was just tapping this drum like a preschooler. WTF was this guy doing on stage anyways?

That all being said, my neck is still sore from rocking out to 46&2, Flood, and Vicarious. Like sex, a subpar Tool show is still pretty good. But most everyone here, you can't help but feel ripped off and disappointed by their apathy towards mixing things up. Before this show I felt like Tool was an invincible God in my mind, but now I saw vulnerabilities in them and can't help but wonder if they're just going through the motions right now for a payday. Not seeing them again until a new album, and I hope the people in Salt Lake get a better show.